The First Omen director Arkasha Stevenson has opened up on the new horror movie's craziest scene – and no, we don't mean that gnarly, much-talked about demon birth.
Before the prequel's release, it was revealed that it was almost slapped with an NC-17 rating, due to a graphic moment that sees a young woman bringing some sort of beast into the world as an increasingly disturbed Nell Tiger Free's protagonist Margaret watches on. It's explicit and haunting, as the woman – exposed in stirrups, on an operating table – cries out before the doctors expose her to a sedative, which causes her to start maniacally laughing instead. Then, a clawed, long-fingered hand reaches out from inside her...
Turns out, though, there's an even wilder shot hidden in plain sight in the movie and CinemaBlend's Jeff McCobb not only spotted it, but asked Stevenson about it.
"Actually, you might be the only person who's ever seen it," she said. "It's so funny because we went back and forth with the ratings board on the birthing clinic scene for the one shot of the female anatomy, yet we have this jackal phallus that's… yeah. It's there… I think it's silicone. Everybody was fascinated with it."
Stevenson went on to say that they filmed several variations of the 20-foot penis through fear of certain shots having to be cut from the final edit. She also said that she and the creative team had extensive discussions about their designs, from texture to whether or not to put "ooze" on them.
"It's kind of like in Fight Club, you know, it's just like this subliminal flash so I think we were able to go all the way with it," the filmmaker concluded. "I've been wanting to talk about it for a very long time."
Also starring Sônia Braga, Ralph Ineson, and Bill Nighy, The First Omen follows novice Margaret, as she travels from the US to Rome to begin a new life of religious servitude. Once there, though, she finds herself uncovering a conspiracy so terrible it causes her to question her faith.
It's in cinemas now. For more, check out our list of the best horror movies of all time, or our guide to the most exciting upcoming horror movies heading our way.
